These Are The Most Humid Cities In America (And Life Here Feels Like A Sauna)

Have you ever seen a weather forecast that says the temperature is 86 degrees, but it feels like 104? That is all thanks to humidity, which indicates the amount of water vapor in the air. As nice as a hot climate can be, humidity can be super unpleasant and contribute to dehydration, high air conditioning bills, and moldy homes. To help people factor humidity into their home moving decisions, Today's Home Owner analyzed data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to find out which cities in the U.S. are the most humid, and which are the least. According to their research, Lake Charles, Louisiana, Jackson, Mississippi, Meridian, Mississippi, Brownsville, Texas, and Port Arthur, Texas are the most humid cities in the US, while Las Vegas, Nevada, Bishop, California, Phoenix, Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas are the least humid. If you want to try and avoid putting your body through the ringer if you're planning on visiting one of these cities, check these secrets to avoiding getting sick while traveling between different climates.

How does humidity actually work? Water vapor evaporates into the air and makes up one of the gases that we breathe. If there is a lot of water around (i.e. in tropical regions that get a lot of rain and are near swamps, seas, or rivers), then the hot air will have more water which evaporates into it, leading to that thick, wet, humid heat. While warm air can hold more water, not all warm places have water around. The heat in a desert, for example, won't be humid, because there isn't a lot of water nearby.

The award of the most humid city in the USA goes to Lake Charles, Louisiana, an underrated Louisiana town. So how do we know that? Humidity is typically measured in relative humidity, which refers to how much moisture is in the air compared to how much moisture the air can hold at the current temperature. Lake Charles has an average annual humidity of 90%. According to WeatherSpark, the city's most humid period lasts for over six months, from early April until the end of October, and the best months to visit if you want to enjoy the outdoors are either early April until late May or late September until late October.

Why is Lake Charles so humid? Firstly, the city is near the Gulf of Mexico, which exudes warm, muggy air. Lake Charles is also surrounded by water, including its namesake lake and surrounding wetlands. This city also experiences frequent hurricanes and thunderstorms, which adds even more water to the atmosphere. "During the summer when it's hot and humidity is 100%, you actually feel like you're walking through a steam room. It can be unbearable. Instant sticky clothes and sweat. You feel like you're breathing in hot water," is how one Reddit commenter described Lake Charles.

Next up, we have Jackson, Mississippi, which also has an average annual humidity of 90%. Despite being inland, warm, wet air from the Gulf of Mexico causes a muggy, humid climate in this region. The city is also close to a few bodies of water, including a reservoir and several rivers, which adds additional moisture to the atmosphere. Jackson is also subtropical, and is no stranger to thunderstorms and hurricanes, which makes conditions even wetter.

Alongside relative humidity, we can also measure humidity by the dew point, which means the temperature at which dew will form. When we're hot, we naturally cool ourselves down by sweating. If there's higher humidity, however, and therefore more water in the air, we sweat less and retain more heat. This is because the sweat can't evaporate into the air as the air is already full of water. This can make it feel way hotter than the temperature says it is.

According to WeatherSpark, the best times to visit Jackson are in the spring from mid April and early June, or in early fall from September to late October. The muggy period, estimated using the dew point and categorized by how hot it feels, lasts from May until mid October. WeatherSpark estimates that the levels of humidity feel steamy, oppressive, or miserable, and almost the entire month of July is at least muggy. "I warn you to be ready for the humidity ... 85 degrees can feel like 110. The air feels like hot soup," One Reddit commenter warns would-be visitors to Jackson.

Not too far away is the third most humid city in the US, Meridian. The "Queen City" of Mississippi also has 90% average annual relative humidity. Like Jackson, Meridian's temperature is influenced by hot air wafting off the Gulf of Mexico, and it also has the Okatibbee River and numerous lakes, reservoirs, and ponds within the city, which further contribute to the city's humidity by adding moisture to the air.

The most humid part of the year in Meridian lasts from early May to early October, with July as the most humid month. According to WeatherSpark, the best time of the year to visit Meridian is mid April to mid June, or late August to mid October. If you're planning on visiting Meridian in the peak of summer, maybe keep this Reddit commenter's words in mind: "Walking outside literally feels like stepping into a sauna except you have clothes on so it sucks."

Also coming in with an average annual humidity of 90%, we have Brownsville, Texas. Brownsville is on the southern tip of Texas, near the western Gulf Coast, which contributes to the city's damp, warm climate. Brownsville is also in a hurricane zone and experiences extreme weather events which can further spike the humidity. 

According to WeatherSpark, Brownsville experiences muggy, humid conditions for over eight months in the year, lasting from mid March until late November. Just like the other cities, July is the most humid month in Brownsville. For optimal weather conditions, WeatherSpark recommends visiting from late February to early May, or from mid October till late November.

If you recall from Today's Home Owner's research detailed above, the state of Texas has some of the most humid cities in the US — but it is also home to one of the least stuffy cities in the country. El Paso, the 5th least humid city according to their research, is in the Chihuahuan Desert and typically has an arid, dry climate. 

Finally, we have Port Arthur, Texas' "Cajun capital" city, which also has a relative average annual humidity of 90%. This city sits beside the watery border of Lake Sabine, which runs directly down to the Gulf of Mexico between Texas and Louisiana. Port Arthur's climate is flooded from the water vapor wafting out of rivers, lakes, waterways, and gulf inside and around the city. It doesn't have to be particularly hot temperature-wise for the air to feel thick, heavy, and hot, because all this water keeps the atmosphere moist and the dew points high. As mentioned above, when there's more water in the atmosphere we sweat less, which makes our bodies retain more heat.

According WeatherSpark, Port Arthur's most humid period lasts for seven months and runs between the beginning of April until early November. July is the most humid month, and the best time to visit for the most temperate climate is between late March and mid-May or late September to early November. "Be warned. Heat and humidity is brutal here," one Reddit commenter emphasizes.